Railway car



1937 F. A. ISAACSON ET AL 5 RAILWAY CAR Original Filed Dec. 10, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 5, 1937. F. A. ISAACSC DN T AL I 2,056,626

7 RAILWAY CAR Original Filed Dec. 10, 1929 4 sheets-sheet s unn- mnmm Jap. 5, 1937- F. A. ISAACSON ET AL RAILWAY CAR original F iled Dec-L 10, 1929 '4 sh ets-sheet 4 Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY CAR Ohio Application December 10, 1929, SerialNo. 413,050 Renewed June 18, 1932 57 Claims.

Our invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to gondola cars of the type in which the ends thereof are in the form of doors arranged to be swung inwardly and downwardly at right angles to their normal positions to permit of the loading of material of greater length than the car.

A principal object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism for maintaining these doors, which are commonly known in the art as drop end doors, in a substantially upright or closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and rugged means for preventing spreading of the side walls of the car.

A primary feature of the invention consists in equipping the car with a plurality of brackets, one of which is mounted on an upper' corner of the door and the other on an adjacent portion of the adjoining side wall of the car, one of the brackets having movably mounted thereon a member adapted to cooperate with the other bracket to maintain the door in closed position.

Another feature of the invention consists in arranging the movable locking member so that it will be disposed betweenone side of the drop end door and the adjacent side wall of the car.

Another feature of the invention consists in associating with the movable member means for looking it in operative position.

A further feature of the invention resides in forming the bracket members with portions adapted to be brought into interlocking relation to prevent spreading of the side walls of the car.

A still further feature of the invention consists in arranging the corner posts of the car so as to limit outward movement of the drop end doors.

Other and more specific features of the invention residing in advantageous forms, combinations and relations of parts will hereinafter appear and be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the upper portion of a gondola oar adjacent one of the corners thereof.

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the car adjacent one of the upper corners thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line l4, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an elevational View taken at right angles to the view in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 66, Figure 2.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 'l--'l, Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 8-8, Figure 5, a removable lever being shown in dot and dash lines.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 99, Figure 2.

Figure 10 is an end view of the bracket secured to the side wall of the car.

Figure 11 is a side elevational View of the bracket illustrated in Figure 10 as viewed from the right-hand side thereof.

Figure 12 is a side elevational View of the bracket illustrated in Figure 10 as viewed from the left-hand side thereof.

Figure 13 is an end elevational View of the bracket secured to the door.

Figure 14 is a plan View of the bracket illustrated in Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a side elevational view of the bracket illustrated in Figure 13 as viewed from the left-hand side thereof.

Figure 16 is a diagrammatic end view of the gondola car.

While the drawings illustrate in detail only a portion of the side wall of the car adjacent the end of the latter and the adjacent portion of the co-acting drop end door it is to be understood that the construction is duplicated at the opposite end and the opposite side of the car, that is, the mechanism illustrated in detail for maintaining the end door in closed position is one of the two employed for each door.

Referring more particularly to the drawings l-I indicates the side walls of the car and 2 one of the drop end doors which is hingedly connected along its lower edge to the car body in any suitable manner (not shown) so as to swing inwardly at substantially right angles to its normal upright position to permit the loading of material of greater length than the car.

While the door may be constructed in any convenient manner and of any desired material the one chosen for purposes of illustration is of sheet metal having inwardly projecting top and side marginal flanges 3 and 4, respectively. Likewise, the side walls of the car, although wooden ones have been illustrated, may be formed of any suitable material. Extending along the upper edges of the side walls are top rails 5, each of which may advantageously be formed with a substantially horizontally disposed leg or flange 6 and a substantially vertically disposed leg or flange l.

The outer edge of the horizontal flange 6 may, if desired, be formed with a rigidifying rib or head 8.

At their ends the side walls are preferably reinforced by a plurality of angularly shaped members 9 and I 0, respectively. The angle member 9 is formed with a leg or flange, I I which projects outwardly from the wall and with a flange or leg I2 which overlaps the outer side of the latter and the depending leg I of the side top rail, being preferably secured to the latter by rivets I 3. The angle member ID, which may be considered as a corner post, is formed with flanges or legs I4 and I5, respectively, the former being overlappingly secured to the leg I2 of the angle member 9 by one of the rivets I3 and one or more additional rivets I 6 and the latter being arranged to overlapthe outer face of the end door so as to limit outward movement of the latter when supported in upright or closed position.

Movably mounted on the side wall in overlapping relation to the inner face thereof and operablein a plane substantially parallel therewith is a member I'I adapted to be disposed in the path of inward movement of the end door. This member is preferably formed with a plate portion having spaced flanges or ribs I8 and I9 projecting laterally from its outer face for respectively coopcrating with the door to maintain the latter in partially closed and fully closed positions. To strengthen the flanges I8 and I9 and to rigidify the member I! the marginal edges of the latter may be provided with reinforcing flanges 20 and 2I, respectively, which preferably decrease in width from the flanges to the inner end of the member. The flanges I8 and I9 may be further strengthened by the rib I8 which may conveniently connect the upper portion of the flange I8 and the lower portion of the flange I9.

Each side of the door adjacent the upper portion thereof is provided with a ledge or shoulder 22 for cooperating with the flanges I8 and I9, respectively, of the movable member IT. This ledge 22 may be conveniently formed integral with a bracket 23, which is preferably of cast metal and has a plurality of plate-like portions 24 and 25 respectively secured by rivets 26 and 21 to the top and side marginal flanges 3 and 4 of the door. In order to rigidly tie these portions of the bracket together the latter is also fashioned with a portion 28 which overlaps the outer face of the main body portion of the door. The portion of the flange 4 to which the bracket is secured is offset inwardly to provide a recess 25, so that the ledge 22 and the adjoining parts of the bracket will not prevent inward movement of the door and free movement of the locking member between the side of the door and the adjacent portion of the side Wall. It will be appreciated that, in addition to serving as means for cooperating with the movable member to maintain the door in closed position, the bracket also serves to reinforce and strengthen that portion of the door to which it is attached.

Mounted upon the side wall of the car is a bracket member 29 having angularly disposed plate-like portions 38 and 3|, which respectively overlap the upper surface of the horizontal flange of the side top rail and the inner surface of the depending or vertical leg of the top rail. The portion 39 may be conveniently secured to the top rail by rivets 32 while the portion 3I is secured thereto by the rivets I3 and an additional rivet 33. Projecting laterally from the portion 3| of the bracket and preferably formed integrally therewith is a trunnion 34 affording a pivotal support for the movable member IT. A washer 35 may be conveniently employed for preventing the member I? from accidentally slipping off of the trunnion, the washer being held in place by the attaching rivet 33.

As the side walls of the car tend to spread due to lateral forces exerted by granular and other lading which may be carried in the car when the door is in closed position, it is desirable to provide means for interlocking the side walls and door to insure proper cooperation of the locking members I! with their cooperating ledges 22. For this purpose the bracket 29 may advantageously be provided with a hood or inwardly projecting portion 38 which terminates in a downwardly extending lug or projection 37 adapted to engage the inner face of an upwardly extending lug or projection 38 integrally formed with the bracket 23'. It will be observed that the hood portions of the brackets close the spaces between the side walls and the side edges of the door and that they also overlie the major portions of the locking members I! thereby protecting them from injury. Since the side walls may spread when the doors are in open position, that is, when they are in overlapping relation with the floor of the car, the cooperating surfaces of the lugs 31 and 38 are respectively fashioned with beveled or inclined surfaces 39 adapted to coact with each other as the door is being moved toward closed position to draw the side walls inwardly whereby proper engagement of the lugs 31 and 38 is assured. If desired the lug 38 may be reinforced at its inner end by a triangularly shaped rib or flange 40 and in order to strengthen and rigidify the inwardly projecting portion 36 of the bracket 39 it may be conveniently connected to the horizontal portion 30 of the bracket by a plurality of ribs or flanges 4I. perceived that not only is simple and rugged means provided for preventing spreading of the side walls of the car and consequently accidental disengagement of the locking members I! from their cooperating ledges 22 by lateral movement of the locking members but means is also provided for drawing the side walls inwardly to insure proper cooperation of the various parts of the mechanism. The means for drawing the side walls inwardly, however, forms no part of this joint invention and it is fully described and claimed in the William E. Wine patent Number 1,853,248, dated April 12, 1932.

In order that the movable member I! may be conveniently operated from the outside of the car to permit the end door to swing inwardly, its free end projects outwardly as at 42 beyond the end of the car through a slot 43 formed in the upper portion of the leg I5 of the corner post ID. This outwardly projecting portion 42 of the member I! also affords a convenient means which may be engaged by a suitable keeper, such as the cam 44, for maintaining the member in operative position and thereby preventing it from moving accidentally to inoperative position. The cam may be conveniently pivotally mounted upon a trunnion 45 which projects outwardly from the end wall 48 of the bracket 29. By mounting the cam in this manner it may operate in a plane normal to the plane of operation of the member I I and engage the upper edge of the member which may be reinforced by a flange 2U constituting a prolongation of the flange 28. Washers 41 may be interposed between the cam and a rivet 48 which extends through an aperture 48' Thus it will be 40 in the trunnion 4G for preventing the cam from accidentally slipping off its trunnion.

The end wall 46 of the bracket 29 is formed with a depending portion 49 having an aperture 5B for receiving a rivet 5| to rigidly attach the bracket to the upper portion of the slotted leg l5 of the corner post. In this manner it will be perceived that outward bending of the slotted portion of leg i5 is effectively prevented. It should be noted that the portion of the corner post secured to the bracket 29 is offset, as at 52, to accommodate the portion 28 of the bracket 23 which overlaps the main body portion of the door.

Considerable difficulty is often experienced in causing drop end doors to assume a fully upright or closed position, due to distortion and def ormation thereof and also due to the lodgement of small pieces of lading between the door and the overlapping leg of the corner post. To minimize this difficulty the bracket 29 is formed with suitable means affording a fulcrum for a removable lever 53 which may be employed to obtain sufficient mechanical advantage for forcing the door into fully closed position. This fulcrum means may comprise an aperture 54 formed in the portion 3! of the bracket 29 which overlaps the inner face of the side wall of the car. The lower portion of the aperture is preferably bounded by an outwardly projecting flange 55 to provide sufficient purchase for the lever. This flange may be extended, as at 56, to form an abutment adapted to engage the underside of the pivoted member ll to maintain or support it in an elevated position when not in operative cooperation with the door.

When the door is moved from its lowered or open position to its upright or closed position the lugs 38 on the brackets 23 at the upper corners of the door are brought into engagement with the lugs 31 of the brackets 29 on the side walls. In this manner spreading of the walls will be prevented when the door is in closed position and it is to be noted that should slight separating or spreading of the upper portions of the side walls occur while the door is in open position, the co -action of the bevelled faces 39 upon initial engagement of the lugs 31 and 38 will bring the side walls back into their normal positions. About the time the lugs engage each other the ledge 22 on the door engages the bottom edge of the pivoted member H, which theretofore has been supported in an elevated position by the stop 56, causing the same to rotate upwardly until the ledge comes opposite the flange l8 at which time the member will gravitate downwardly bringing the flange into engagement with the ledge to maintain the door in a partially closed position. Continued movlement of the door will again cause the member to rotate up wardly due to the co-action between the flange l8 and the ledge until the latter is opposite the flange [9 at which time the member will again move downwardly under the influence of gravity whereby the ledge and flange l9 cooperate to maintain the door in fully closed position. Of course, should difficulty be encountered in moving the door to fully upright position the removable lever 53, heretofore described, may be employed. After the flange l9 engages the ledge 22 the cam 44 may be rotated into engagement with the outer end of the member I! to prevent accidental unlocking movement of the latter. The extreme outer end of the member I! may be fashioned with an upwardly projecting lug 51 so that in the event of undue wear between the cam and its pivotal support disengagement of the member and cam by accidental movement of the latter in the direction of its pivotal axis is prevented.

To permit the door to be swung inwardly to occupy a position at substantially right angles to its upright position the cam 44 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2, and the member I! moved upwardly out of engagement with the shoulder 22. It will of course be appreciated that should difiiculty be encountered in effecting rotation of the movable member I! either to move it into or out of engagement with the shoulder 22 the outwardly projecting end of the member affords a convenient means which may be struck by a hammer, crow bar or the like. In order that it will not be necessary for the operator to maintain the cam in an elevated position to prevent it from interfering with free pivotal movement of the member II, the cam is fashioned with an elongated portion 58 adapted to contact with a side of the member after the cam has been rotated in a counter-clockwise direction out of engagement with the latter.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that simple, rugged and reliable means has been provided, which in addition to preventing spreading of the side walls of the car, serves to maintain the drop end door in an upright position.

We claim:

1. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of movably mounted members adapted to be respectively interposed between the sides of the door and the side walls of the car for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position.

2. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a member movably mounted on the upper portion of each side wall in overlapping relation to its inner face for cooperating with the door to maintain the latter in a substantially upright position.

3. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the r.

side walls of the car, of a member movably mounted on each side wall adjacent the upper portion thereof for engaging the door to maintain the latter in an upright position, said member being in compression when in operative engagement with the door.

4. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of means for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position, each of said means involving a member pivotally mounted on a side wall of the car adjacent the upper portion thereof and engageable with the door, said member when in operative engagement with the door having its free end projecting outwardly beyond the latter.

5. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a member movably mounted on the inside of each side wall adjacent the upper portion thereof, said member being movable in a plane substantially parallel with the side wall and being provided with an inwardly projecting portion engageable with the door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position.

6. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a member pivotally mounted on each side Wall for engaging the door to maintain the latter in a substantially upright position, said member when in operative engagement with the door having its free end projecting outwardly beyond the door, and means engageable with the projecting end of said member for locking the latter in operative position.

'7. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of means for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position, each of said means involving a member pivotally mounted on a side wall of the car and engageable with the door, and a member for locking said pivoted member in engagement with the door, the planes of operation of said members being substantially normal to each other.

8. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side Walls of the car, of a plurality of movably mounted members for maintaining the door in an upright position, each member when in operative position being adapted to be interposed between a side wall of the car and the adjacent side edge of the door, and means movably mounted on each side wall for engaging the associated member to lock the latter in operative position.

9. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a member movably mounted on each side wall for engaging the door to maintain the latter in a substantially upright position, said member when in operative engagement with the door being disposed between the side wall and the adjoining side edge of the door and having its free end terminating outwardly beyond the door, and means cooperable with the outer end of said member for locking the latter in operative position.

10. In a railway gondola oar having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of means respectively adjacent the upper corners of the door for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position, each of said means involving a bracket secured to the door and a bracket secured to the side wall, and a member movably mounted on one of said brackets and operable in a plane substantially parallel to the said side wall for engaging the other of said brackets.

11. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of brackets, one of which is secured to the door adjacent an upper corner thereof and the other to an adjacent portion of the adjoining side wall, and a member movably mounted on one of said brackets and engageable with the other of said brackets for maintaining said end door in partially and in fully closed position.

12. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of brackets one of which is secured to the end door adjacent an upper corner thereof and the other to an adjacent portion of the adjoining side wall, a member movably mounted on one of said brackets and engageable with the other for maintaining the end door in a substantially upright position, and means also movably mounted on one of said brackets for cooperating with said member for looking it in operative position.

13. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of brackets respectively secured to adjacent upper portions of the end door and side walls, a member movably mounted on each of the brackets secured to the side wall and engageable with the associated bracket secured to the end door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position, and a member also movably mounted on the side wall bracket for cooperating with said firstnamed member for locking the latter in operative position.

14. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of brackets one of which is secured to the door adjacent an upper corner thereof and the other to an adjacent portion of the adjoining side wall, said last-named bracket having a portion overlapping the inner face of the side wall, and a member movably mounted upon said portion and cooperable with the other of said brackets for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position.

15. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, each wall being provided with a top rail having substantially horizontal and vertical flanges, of a. bracket having portions respectively rigidly secured to the flanges of said rail, and means movably mounted on one of said portions of the bracket for engaging the end door for supporting the latter in a substantially upright position.

16. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car provided with atop rail, of a corner post, a bracket rigidly secured to said top rail and corner post, and means movably mounted on said bracket and cooperable with said end door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position.

17. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side Wall of the car provided with a top rail having substantially horizontally and vertically disposed flanges, a corner post, a bracket rigidly secured to both flanges of said top rail and to said corner post, and means movably mounted on said bracket cooperable with said end door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position.

18. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a bracket rigidly secured to each side wall and having a portion overlapping the inner face thereof, said portion being integrally formed with a laterally projecting lug, and means revolubly mounted on said lug for cooperating with said end door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position.

19. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a bracket rigidly secured to the upper portion of the side wall in a plurality of intersecting planes, and a member movably mounted on said bracket and cooperable with said end door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position.

20. In a gondola. car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a corner post, a bracket having a portion overlappingly secured to the inner side of the side wall and a portion secured to the corner post, a member pivotally mounted upon the portion of the bracket secured to the side wall for cooperating with the end door to maintain the latter in a substantially upright position, and means movably mounted on the portion of the bracket secured to the corner post for cooperating with said member for locking the latter in operative position.

21. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a bracket mounted on the door adjacent an upper corner thereof, said bracket having a portion disposed between a side edge of the door and the side wall of the car, and a member movably mounted on the side wall adapted to cooperate with the said portion of the bracket for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position.

22. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a bracket rigidly secured to the end door adjacent an upper corner thereof, the upper side edge of the door being offset inwardly to receive a portion of said bracket, and means movably mounted on the inner side of the side wall adapted to cooperate with said portion of the bracket for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position.

23. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a bracket mounted upon the door adjacent an upper corner thereof, said bracket having portions respectively rigidly secured to top and side portions of said door, and means interposed between the side wall and the adjacent edge of the door for cooperating with said bracket to maintain the door in a substantially upright position.

24. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a bracket mounted on the door adjacent an upper corner thereof, said bracket having a portion interposed between the door and adjacent side Wall, said portion being fashioned with a lateral projection, and means movably mounted on the side wall and cooperable with said projection for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position.

25. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with a side wall of the car, of brackets respectively secured to an upper corner of the end door and to the side wall, each of said brackets being attached to its associated part of the car in a plurality of intersecting planes, and means movably mounted on one of said brackets and engageable with the other of said brackets for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position.

26. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, and means adapted to be operatively interposed between the side walls and the door for maintaining the latter in closed position, said door being provided with means respectively cooperable with the side walls when the door is in closed position to prevent the walls from spreading.

27. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls or the car, of a plurality of means for maintaining the door in closed position, each of said means involving a bracket secured to the end door adjacent an upper corner thereof, a bracket secured to the upper portion of the adjacent side wall, and a member movably mounted on one of said brackets and engageable with the other, the brackets on the side walls having portions adapted to overlappingly engage portions of the brackets on the door when the door is in closed position to prevent spreading of the said walls.

28. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side Walls of the car, of a plurality of. pairs of brackets, one bracket of each pair being secured to the door and the other to the adjacent side wall, and a member movably mounted on one bracket of each pair and engageable with the other bracket or its pair for maintaining the door in closed position, the brackets on the door being respectively provided with upwardly projecting lugs cooperable with said side wall brackets when the door is in closed position for preventing spreading of the walls.

29. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of pairs of brackets, the brackets constituting each pair being respectively carried by the door and the adjacent side wall, and a member movably mounted on one bracket of each pair and respectively engageable with the other bracket of its pair for maintaining the door in closed position, said pairs of brackets being provided with substantially vertically disposed portions adapted to be brought into interlocking relation when the door is moved to closed position to prevent spreading of the side walls.

30. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of brackets respectively secured to the end door adjacent the upper corners thereof, brackets respectively secured to the upper portions of said side walls, and members movably mounted on the brackets secured to the side walls and respectively engageable with the brackets secured tothe door for maintaining the door in closed position, each of the brackets secured to the side walls having a portion overlying the adjacent door bracket and provided with a downwardly projecting lug, said door brackets having up- Wardly projecting lugs respectively cooperable with the lugs of the associated side wall brackets when the door is moved to closed position for preventing spreading of the side walls.

31. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of brackets respectively mounted upon the door adjacent the upper corners thereof, each of said brackets having a portion rigidly secured to the top of said door, each of said portions being provided with an upwardly projecting lug and a rigidifying rib integrally connected thereto, brackets respectively mounted upon the upper portions of said side walls, and members adapted to be respectively operatively interposed between the brackets secured to the door and those secured to the side walls for maintaining the door in closed position, said side wall brackets having portions respectively cooperable with the upwardly projecting lugs of the door brackets when the door is moved to closed position for preventing spreading of the side walls.

32. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of an angularly shaped corner post having one leg secured to the side wall and another leg affording a stop for the end door, a plurality of brackets one of which is secured to an upper corner of the end door and the other to an adjacent portion of the side wall, and means movably mounted on one of said brackets and engageable with the other for maintaining the door in a substantially upright position.

33. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of an angularly shaped corner post having one leg secured to the side wall and another affording a stop for the door, a movable member carried by the side wall and cooperable with the door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position, the leg of the corner post afiording a stop for the door being recessed for receiving said movable member.

34. In a gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of an angularly-shaped corner post secured to said side wall and having a leg adapted to overlap the outer face of said door, a pivoted member mounted on the side wall and cooperable with the door for maintaining the latter in a substantially upright position, said leg of the corner post being recessed to receive said pivoted member and the free end of the latter projecting outwardly therebeyond, and a bracket mounted upon said side wall and rigidly secured to the slotted portion of said corner post, said bracket aiiording a support for the pivoted member.

35. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of a plurality of means rigid with the door and respectively projecting laterally thereof toward said side walls, and members movably mounted on the side walls and respectively engageable with said means for maintaining the door in closed position.

36. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, said door being provided with marginal flanges along its side edges, the combination with the side walls of the car, of brackets carried by said door and having portions respectively secured to said flanges, and means movably mounted on said side walls and respectively cooperable with said portions of the brackets for maintaining the door in closed position.

37. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, said door being provided with marginal flanges along its side and top edges, the combination with the side walls of the car, of brackets carried by said door and having portions respectively secured to said side and top flanges, and means movably mounted on the side walls for respectively cooperating with said brackets to maintain the door in closed position.

38. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, said door being provided with marginal flanges along its side and top edges, the combination with the side walls of the car,

of brackets carried by said door and having portions respectively secured to said side and top flanges, the portions of each bracket secured to the flanges being integrally connected by a portion overlapping the outer face of the door, and means adapted to be operatively interposed between said brackets and the side walls for maintaining the door in closed position.

39. In a gondola car having a drop end door adapted when in open position to overlap the floor of the car, the combination with the side walls of the car, of mechanism for maintaining the door in closed position, brackets rigidly secured. to said door respectively having lugs projecting upwardly therefrom, and means rigid with the side walls respectively having downwardly extending portions cooperable with said lugs when the door is in closed position to prevent spreading of the side walls.

40. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car having a top rail, of means for maintaining the end door in a substantially upright position, said means including a bracket rigidly secured to said top rail, and a member pivotally mounted on said bracket engageable with said door, said bracket having a portion adapted to be disposed in overlapping relation with respect to the outer face of the door when the latter is in upright position.

41. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car provided with a top rail, of a corner post secured to the side wall having a flange adapted to overlap the outer face of the door when the latter is disposed in upright position, and means for maintaining the door in upright position involving a bracket secured to said top rail and a member movably mounted on the bracket engageable with the door, said bracket having a portion secured to said flange of the corner post.

42. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a movable locking member adapted to be disposed between a side edge of the door and said wall for maintaining the door in upright position, and a bracket rigidly secured to the side wall having a. portion overlying said movable member.

43. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side Walls of the car, of means for interlocking the side walls and door when the latter is in upright position to prevent said walls from spreading, said means including brackets respectively secured to the side walls, each of said brackets having a hooded top portion of angular construction.

44. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a locking member for maintaining the door in upright position, said locking member being pivotally mounted on the interior of the car and projecting through a portion of the car structure to the exterior thereof.

45. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with side walls of the car, and means for maintaining the door in upright position, said means comprising a pair of members pivotally mounted on the interior of the car adjacent opposite sides thereof and. near the top of the door, said door being provided with looking faces respectively engageable with said members.

46. A railway gondola car having a drop end door, and means for maintaining the door in an upright position, said means including a member pivotally mounted interiorly of the car, said member when in operative position having a portion projecting exteriorly of the car.

47. In av railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of means for maintaining the door in upright position, said means including pivotally mounted members respectively disposed adjacent the side edges of the door, said door being provided with recessed portions for receiving said locking members.

48. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of means for maintaining the door in upright position, said means including pivotally mounted members respectively disposed adjacent said side walls and being adapted to extend between the latter and the adjacent side edges of the door when the latter is in upright position, said side edges of the door being offset to receive said locking members.

49. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of corner posts secured to the side walls and respectively having portions adapted to overlap the outer face of the door, and means for maintaining the door in upright position, said means including pivotally mounted members respectively adapted to extend between the side edges of the door and the side walls, each of said members extending on opposite sides of the said portion of the corner post adjacent thereto.

50. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a corner post secured to the side wall having a portion adapted to overlap the outer face of the door, and means for maintaining the door in upright position involving a member mounted interiorly of the car, said portion of the corner post being recessed to receive said pivoted member and the latter projecting outwardly beyond said portion.

51. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a corner post secured to the side wall and having a leg adapted to overlap the outer face of the door, the upper portion of said leg being provided with a' recess, and a locking member pivotally mounted on the interior of said Wall and cooperable with said door for maintaining the latter in upright position, said locking member having a portion projecting exteriorly of the car through said recess in the corner post.

52. A railway gondola car having a drop end door, a locking member pivotally mounted interiorly of the car for cooperating with said door to maintain the latter in upright position, and means mounted exteriorly of the car for preventing accidental movement of said'locking member to inoperative position.

53. In a railway car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of a locking member pivotally mounted on the inside of said side wall adapted to cooperate with said door for maintaining the latter in upright position, said locking member having a portion l projecting exteriorly of the car, and a member pivotally mounted on the exterior of the car adapted to engage said portion of the locking member to prevent accidental movement of the locking member to inoperative position.

'54. In a railway car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, mechanism for maintaining the door in closed position, said mechanism including a pivoted member mounted on the inner side of said side wall and extending lengthwise of the car for engaging said door, and a pivoted keeper for said locking member, the pivotal axes of the said locking member and said keeper extending at angles to each other.

55. In a railway car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, a locking member extending lengthwise of the car adapted to be interposed between said side wall and a side edge of the door to cooperate with said door for maintaining the latter in closed position, and a keeper for maintaining said looking member in operative position, said keeper being movable transversely of said locking member.

56. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with a side wall of the car, of means for maintaining the door in an upright position, said means including a looking member pivotally mounted interiorly of the car and engageable with the door, said member having a portion projecting exteriorly of the car, and a keeper engageable with said portion of the locking member, said member having a portion adapted to overlap the outer face of said keeper. 57. In a railway gondola car having a drop end door, the combination with the side walls of the car, of mechanism for preventing the side walls from spreading when the door is in closed position, said mechanism involving a bracket rigid with the door adjacent a corner thereof, said bracket having a lug projecting upwardly from the top of the door, and means rigid with a side wall of the car having a laterally extending portion provided with a downturned end engageable with said lug.

FRED A. ISAACSON.

WILLIAM E. WINE. 

